Day 25: Girl Talk

Girl Talk

"To me, there's not a huge difference motivationally between whether you're trying to be respected for being weird, or trying to make a million dollars. You're still just trying to create a character."



Girl Talk is the stage name of Gregg Gillis, a mashup dj. He creates songs from many different samples. His early albums are more glitch, than anything else. Born in Pittsburgh, Gillis was once a scientist, but quit his job to focus full-time on music. To describe his music is very hard to someone who doesn't know what the genre of mashup is, so I'll just let you listen to a song before I continue.



That is off his third album, Night Ripper. As you can see, he sorta takes the best parts of like, 3 or four songs and mixes them into 40 seconds. Then he changes it up on you and changes the songs. There is a rhythm and a rhyme to it. According to Gregg, "Well, I don't pick things at random. I've always been into juxtapositions of really different elements. Things like really overtly sexual rap mixed with clean-cut '70s pop music, stuff like that. You hear a guy rapping about having sex, and it's set over James Taylor. I think it's what makes the music fun." ( www.nerve.com/screeningroom/music/girltalk/ )

Girl Talk's breakthrough album was Night Ripper. It made him a star in the underground world, and he started selling out venues. It was a much more accessible album than his previous two, and that may be why.

Gregg creates all of his music on his laptop, which is a pc. and

Suggested Albums:
Night Ripper (2006):
His breakthough album. For a list of samples used, check here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Ripper

Feed the Animals (2008):
The album that got me into him. It was offered for free and it was all the buzz, so I downloaded it. Never listened to it until after Lolla, but more on that later. Many had it in their top 50 albums of the year. It was my number one.


Sounds Like: 20 different songs mixed into four minutes, but pulling it off
Genre: Electronic, Mashup, Experimental
Similar Artists: The Hood Internet
Similar Bonnaroo Artists: Well, there's the Electronic artists, but they're not even really that similar.

Live Show:
Girl Talk's live show is off the hook. It's phenomenal. It's easily in the top ten shows I've seen. Usually on stage he'll have around 20 people dancing with him, but I've seen more. He has people shooting stuff into the crowds, and I know at the lolla show, there was two men in bear suits that climbed trees. I don't dance, I'm just very shy, but you must dance at a Girl Talk show. It's impossible not to. It's so much fun letting loose and dancing with the people around you.

- entire show

Personal Note:
I saw Girl Talk last year at Lollapalooza. It was one of those life changing experiences. I had just finished watching Saul Williams, and was just about to go to Love and Rockets, when this guy asked us all where we were going. I took a look at the schedule and decided to watch this guy who I had heard so much about on the lollaboard. I had not heard any of his music before, so I was very excited about what was to come. When he started, it was so much fun. I had never heard anything like this before. The performance inspired me to start making music. I will not be missing this show.